New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Lacson and Foreign Minister Winston Peters have announced that the country will now recognize Hamas as a terrorist organization.
While New Zealand has acknowledged the military wing of Hamas, the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, as a terrorist entity since 2010, it has refrained from labeling the political leadership and the organization as a whole as terrorists until today.
Peters stated, "Following the terrorist attack on October 7th, it's no longer feasible to distinguish between Hamas's military and political wings. The organization as a whole bears responsibility for these appalling terrorist acts."
In light of this, the New Zealand government has unveiled sanctions against Hamas, including asset freezes within New Zealand and a prohibition on "providing support to it," as reported by AFP.
